


The Vulture

by Thecat_iswriting



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Aurors, Gen, Ministry of Magic (Harry Potter), Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-18 01:01:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28734624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thecat_iswriting/pseuds/Thecat_iswriting
Summary: Nymphadora Tonks is up for a hearing with the Accountability Council at the Ministry of Magic. She knows what to say, she knows it all of by heart - but can she keep it up?
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	The Vulture

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger warnings for: Blood, death, violent attacks 
> 
> I have rewritten this chapter countless times, I knew what I wanted to do, but it always felt the same. Then I changed the time placement, and I think it works better now. This takes place between post-goblet and pre-Order (that little limbo space in-between). I am in the process of discovering who Tonks is, without Lupin for now. It's a little writing experiment that, I hope, will help me develop my own characters one day. Don't get me wrong though, Remus and dear Nymphadora chapters are going to be coming - the prompts and oneshots are all there - waiting to become wonderfully angsty chapters. But for now, I want to try uncover who Tonks is, what was left out from the books.
> 
> I appreciate every review, critique, kudos. It means more than you can imagine.
> 
> I hope you enjoy. :)

Nymphadora Tonks fidgeted with the loose threads in her pockets. She tugged, twisted, and unravelled them again. She had run over the rehearsed words in her head until they all felt like useless gibberish – having long forgotten what they even meant. But it’s what Mad-Eye had instructed, and what the man says, Tonks does.

_‘Learn your report word for word and then regurgitate it back to the council. They’re just a bunch of vultures anyways, they don’t care for sensitivities,’_ Mad-Eye had said in his hospital gown while fighting off a nurse.

And what if she messed it up?

_Then I can finally get the band back together,_ Tonks thought to herself.

She snorted at the dismal attempt to look on the bright side. Through some miraculous feat, she was best suited at yielding a wand in combat than strumming a guitar. She looked over the wooden door in front of her, leading her gaze down to the brass door knob. She steadied her concentration and noticed the faint translucent sheet of magical residue vibrating over the handle. The spell _Finite Incantatem_ glistened back at her, seemingly unmenacing.

The nervousness that she felt, reminded her of her first day as an Auror trainee. And now, almost a year later, her mentor lay in hospital while his protégée was up for a hearing – waiting to see if she would be getting the sack.

‘Alright there Tonks?’

She broke her gaze and looked over her shoulder. Tonks smiled nervously back at Kingsley who stood at the other end of the corridor. ‘If I said no, could I go back to my desk?’

‘No,’ he chuckled. ‘We all have to see the inside of that hall at least once in our career.’

‘So, trainees have been in there?’

‘After today, there will at least have been one,’ he taunted, tipping his head at her before walking off. ‘See you inside Tonks.’

She heard him open the connecting doors around the corner, the sounds of quiet murmur and squeaking chairs as people settled down, spilled out to her ears. Her stomach twisted and reminded her of that stale lemon biscuit she had had an hour ago. Tonks closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath to quench the unpleasantness.

The moment of calm was short lived when a voice trapped in a speaker box, all but shouted at her. ‘Auror Tonks,’ the voice said. ‘Your hearing with the Accountability Council will commence in approximately 15 seconds. Please deposit your wand, temporarily, into the drop box next to you.’

Apprehensively, Tonks reached into her sleeve and tugged her wand out of its holster. She placed it into the box which instantly vanished into the wall.

‘Thank you,’ the voice responded. ‘Next, please place your wand hand onto the door handle. In doing so, you agree to the temporary removal of any potions, antidotes, spells, curses, lucky charms, anti-jinx amulets, enchantments or magical abilities as part of your truth oath.’

‘Yeah, thought as much,’ Tonks whispered under her breath. She lifted up her left hand and placed it onto the handle.

Her palm had barely felt the unusually warm brass beneath it when the spell’s effects took action. Tonks felt the hair follicles on her head suddenly quiver back into their natural colour before bouncing down passed her shoulders. Her Metamorphmagi was cloaked for the duration of the hearing – she shuddered at her sudden vulnerability.

‘You may enter.’

Tonks turned the knob and pushed the door open, immediately taking note of the poor attendance of people staring back at her. Taking a quick breath of relief, she closed the door behind her and walked towards a small modest desk facing the stands.

‘Good evening director Williams,’ she greeted the head of council and caught Kingsley’s eye who sat behind him.

‘Evening Auror Tonks,’ Williams greeted back politely, he adjusted his black pince-nez glasses to sit on the edge of his nose and opened the file in front of him. ‘Let’s get right into it shall we, case number 3327 everyone.’

Only a couple of council members made the effort to pull out their corresponding files, others yawned lazily, settling in for the last hearing of the day. One particular wizard disappeared behind a book of crossword puzzles with no apprehension whatsoever.

‘The Auror in question is Nymphadora Tonks, reason being - spoliation of evidence,’ Williams paged through the documents in front of him. ‘Any questions or objections from you Auror Tonks?’

‘No sir.’

Williams nodded and continued. ‘The victim was seven year old Dinah Brown, attacked by an unknown werewolf,’ he read out loud and paused, frowning slightly. ‘This was a general disturbance, why was this call diverted to Auror headquarters?’

‘Magical Authorities had their wands full with the Leprechaun protests – ‘ an eruption of groans and mutters interrupted Tonks.

‘Ah yes,’ Williams nodded as he rubbed his temple. ‘Yes I remember now, we’re still dealing with the paperwork. I suspect that is why you struggled to get hold of the healers at St. Mungos as well? There was an influx of Irish step dancing jinxes – but no matter now,’ he waved off the continued muttering around him. ‘Walk us through when you first found the victim.’

‘I found the child in her mother’s arms as soon as I entered the house. She was unconscious but alive, I sent a call to St. Mungos followed by a request for back-up from headquarters,’ Tonks reported stiffly. ‘I examined the wound to see what I could do, and immediately recognised the markings of an adult werewolf jaw.’

She paused slightly to let Williams catch up, his glasses almost fallen off the tip of his nose while his quill fluttered beneath him. The sight of the crimson feather speckled with white bought forth a memory in her mind. She had been trying to clean off the torn and matted jumper from the child’s wound. From where the wool had not been seeped in blood, Tonks noticed the white threads of a hand knit jersey. But where she had thought were disentangled threads, were in fact pieces of sinew from the child’s arm.

Tonks pressed her nails into her palm, forcing herself to come back to the present.

‘And I suspect Aurors were late because they were dealing with the Albus Dumbledore fiasco?’

Tonks nodded.

‘An unlucky day to be alone at headquarters it seems,’ Williams glanced up at her over his glasses before continuing to read. ‘The Patronus you sent back, you warned of a premeditated attack. How did you make that deduction Auror?’

‘I found the markings of human teeth beside where the wound was at its worst, they didn’t puncture the skin, but it was enough to differentiate it. It was if the attacker was trying to hold on… until the right time.’ Where these words had been easier to write down, now sounded audibly cold and harsh to Tonks.

Williams looked up, pushing back his round glasses. ‘The mother wasn’t a witness?’

‘No, there weren’t any,’ Tonks explained. ‘After a calming draught from the healers, she told the Aurors she had been out of the house when the attack happened - only arrived a few minutes before me actually.’

The wizard sighed leaning back into his seat. ‘No witnesses, no evidence – a cold case then.’

She glanced over at Kingsley who offered a supportive smile to her.

‘Alright well, let us address the actions you took to try save the victim,’ he motioned for her to proceed.

Tonks sat a little straighter in her seat. ‘The healers had not yet appeared, and I received no word from headquarters, so I decided to take action. If I waited even another minute, I knew it would be too late. Werewolf saliva contains anticoagulants, the bleeding won’t stop with a simple healing spell,’ she explained. ‘I knew of only one way to stop it, silver and Dittany.’

‘You had prior knowledge that this mixture removes all evidence of the biter?’

‘I did,’ Tonks said in one breath.

‘And you applied the procedure without confirming if the child was still alive at the time?’

‘Yes.’

Williams looked at her thoughtfully and then licked a finger before turning over the page. ‘You took a risk Auror, a serious one at that,’ he raised his eyebrows at her. ‘You failed to check if the victim was still alive right before administering the concoction – it is protocol for this type of procedure. Law 88 under section 25 states: … _victim must be alive when presented with the combination of Dittany and silver, if said victim is pronounced dead – evidence maintains strict primacy_.’ He read out loud and then looked up at her. ‘If the child had already been dead before you applied the Dittany and silver, you would be guilty Auror. Punishment for such a transgression is immediate removal of your license and ten years in Azkaban if you lose your trial,’ he leaned forward onto his arms. ‘The child died at 19:47, you applied the procedure at 19:34. One minute and three seconds, that was your saving grace.’

Tonks swallowed as she continued to look back at Williams.

‘None the less,’ he leaned back, his chair creaking as he did so. ‘You exhibited remarkable decision making under an extremely stressful situation – on your own and at your age no less. For that, I have to commend you – I can see Alastor’s influence, although unorthodox in his ways…’ He shook his head. ‘Auror Tonks, I think if there aren’t any objections from – ‘

‘Williams, before you continue.’

Tonks looked up to see where the voice had come from. A raised hand caught her eye, the fingers still clutching at a crossword book – pages lazily flopping open. She looked down at the source and felt her stomach regress into gelatine, as the fish-like eyes of Richard Bloom looked back at her.

The director craned his neck. ‘Bloom, I didn’t see you there.’

‘Just a couple of questions for the Auror, Williams.’

Tonks immediately glanced over at Kingsley who was watching the man suspiciously from the corner of his eye.

Williams beckoned for him to go on with a clear expression of frustration.

Bloom nodded curtly back at him, taking no apparent notice. He turned his attention back to Tonks and smiled politely only a fool would believe. ‘When you first arrived, you said the victim was still alive?’

‘Yes.’

‘Hence, I am assuming you checked for a pulse?’

Guardedly, Tonks answered. ‘That is correct.’

‘Oh good, you know how to check for one,’ his condescending tone was masked by his gracious smile. ‘Why didn’t you check for a pulse a second time before administering the Dittany and silver?’

Tonks opened her mouth, but where the words ‘ _I did not remember’_ should have come out, only silence was met. She stopped the urge to reach for her throat where she felt the magical oath constrict her voice box.

At her reaction, Bloom’s gracious smile began to transform into a satisfied sneer.

Tonks’ breath quickened as panic and realisation gripped her.

‘Auror?’ Williams asked frowning.

She looked nervously towards Kingsley, his hands were tightly clasped in front of him, watching her carefully.

‘Did you remember protocol with this procedure?’ Bloom asked with a gleeful urgency.

Tonks, who was frozen in place, racked her mind through the rehearsed words of her reports – she found no defence. Instead, she remembered her red fingers rummaging through a stranger’s kitchen drawers and finding the smallest silver spoon, in hopes that it would not be missed. She traced her bloody boot prints back, her wand shaking violently as she melted the silver into her Dittany vial. She once more knelt beside the mother who rocked her child - intruding on their most private moment.

_Please._

The mother, whose grief had already succumbed her, pleaded for one last salvation. And Tonks held it in a vial in her hand, the other, stopped mid-air ready to feel for a pulse.

In that moment, Tonks made the decision that she had never remembered protocol, she convinced herself that she had never even read it – for all she knew, it never existed.

_Fuck protocol,_ she had thought as she poured the mixture onto the wound. 

‘Yes.’ Tonks said suddenly, surprised at the sudden sound of her own voice. ‘I did remember protocol at the time.’

‘And why did you not follow it?’ Bloom asked inquisitively.

Something had woken up inside Tonks, perhaps Moody’s madness was rubbing off on her after all. ‘Because my ignorance was all I could offer a mother who believed her child’s last breath, was in my hands. An Auror trainee, who shouldn’t have been the one to answer the call in the first place,’ Even her own voice had changed, it begged to be challenged.’ If I had felt for a pulse, I would have pocketed the vial, I would have known there was no hope... I would have chosen to wait, prioritise the evidence as I have been taught – as the damn law suggests.’

She felt her hands shake from the release of seething anger; they could sack her for all she cared - let the truth be out.

_Fucking vulture._

The hall had gone very quiet after her admission, but the urgency in Tonks did not dissipate.

‘A charming tale,’ Bloom’s response was dripped in sarcasm. She saw his eyes slowly travel upward; she could almost hear his mind trying to work ahead of hers. ‘At least one can say, you are smarter than your dear cousin. He in fact left a fair amount of evidence to convict him thrice over,’ Tonks understood now what the man had been looking at, her unmorphed hair - her pitch black hair. ‘And your aunt – notorious as well, the resemblance is astounding.’ He leaned his head onto his palm. ‘She too affiliated with werewolves if I recall.’

‘Associating yourself with werewolves isn’t a crime,’ Tonks said angrily.

‘Not yet,’ Bloom raised his eyebrows, his own quick tongue leaving little room for defence. ‘Are you then a sympathiser, Auror?’

She narrowed her eyes. ‘I am merely not prejudiced; it is the Black family that I do not associate myself with.’

‘Yet you’ve accepted with utmost ease that you allowed a monster be set loose. Your surface level deduction and attempt at gaining our sympathy, only reveals your incompetence as an Auror.’

The amount of eyes in the room seemed to double in her direction.

‘When this werewolf spills the next victim’s blood, and I do mean when, I hope you remember, you allowed it.’

Blood was rushing through her ears now, deafening any logic within her, she stood up at once from where she sat – instinctively reaching towards her empty holster.

Kingsley mirrored her. ‘Sit down Tonks.’ He firmly said.

Tonks felt shame rise up in her as she took back her seat.

Her superior turned towards Williams. ‘Director, I think this hearing has changed course drastically. It has become an interrogation against my Auror, which I cannot allow.’

Williams studied Shacklebolt carefully before turning his attention to Tonks. He stared at her through his pince-nez glasses and she suddenly felt a gentle tug at her thoughts, as if someone had as simply opened a drawer. But before she could realise what he was doing, the sensation faded, and Williams spoke. ‘Yes, Bloom, that’s quite enough.’

‘No matter, Williams,’ Bloom eased himself in his chair opening up his crossword book. ‘I got what I needed in any case.’

Williams disregarded him. ‘Despite the Auror’s confession, the victim was still alive when the procedure was given. I see no malicious intent within her – and so I hereby declare that all charges are released.’ Williams looked at Tonks carefully and added. ‘But I suggest you learn from this for the rest of your career – or it will be a short one,’ He signed the bottom of the document with a quick flurry of his feathered quill. He shut the file in a quick snap. ‘Hearing adjourned.’

  


  


  



End file.
